Best way to get pullets used to me n the kids

[ChickInDelight]

Mine never liked me.... until - my 2 Rhode Island Reds started laying. Now, Penny is like a dog - wants to come in the house, the cars... She jumps up on railings and furniture in the yard to be closer to me. She squats to be pet and seems to like it.

This is my first time with chickens, but I find them VERY food-motivated.

 

[aoxa]

Quote:
She wants you to mate her

I pull up on the tail a couple times and pat their back. They REALLY enjoy this LOL

 

[henrietta101]

Thanks for the postings. I feel more confident with how to approach the issue. My kids have been wonderful I must say. They don't rush the chickens at all and are really happy just to watch them and feed them.

 

[Tracydr]

Quote:
So true. My Banties have become total pets since they started laying.
I really don't think chickens, as a whole, like to be petted like dogs. Some like to sit on you, some will like a backwards neck rub ( kind of push the feathers against the way they grow) but I've never really had any that liked petting. I've had chickens for almost twenty five years, a lot of chickens.
My old English bantys are the friendliest of all my chickens. They like to be picked up and held, perch on my finger or shoulder but I don't think even they like petting.

 

[Tracydr]

Glad to hear the hamburgs are good layers. I have two of them and boy are they fast! Those two and my Egyptians run like road runners, very different gait from "normal " chickens. And, very skittish. Looking forward to all those eggs.
They seem like chickens who would do well in a free ranging situation. Unfortunately, I've lost two Egyptians. I think they've died of stress after flying over the fence and being " retrieved" by my dog. Neither had a mark on them but both were found on my back porch.

 

[cmom]

My birds love bread. I would sit with them for hours and have some bread for them. Eventually some would jump up on my lap as if saying "ok where is the bread"? Just be patient, some will let you hold them and some won't, let them make the moves. If someone grabs at them they may not trust.

 

[MsL]

Sounds like you are on the right track. I take whatever positive interaction with the chickens as my chicken gift for the day. Today I had a nice surprise...I was spending some time with my new pullets in their coop, so they will get used to me, and after a while, I picked up the youngest one (my favorite). She liked being snuggled, which I did for a few minutes, and then I opened up my arms to give her the option to get down. Instead she stood up, looked around, then hunkered down to roost on my hand. I would have stayed there contentedly with her, but after 5 minutes kneeling down in the 4 ft tall coop, I had to move. Bummer, because it was very sweet, and surprising too after only having had these gals for 4 days. Lovely moment to my afternoon. Good luck!

 

[henrietta101]

Thanks for the posts. They seem to be getting more used to me now which is now and a little happier around the kids. I hope that it will be easier once they start free ranging.

 

[Nonny]

I got mine used to me by weeding the lawn.

I have a lawn that is full of weeds and prickles so I get out there every morning for about 10 minutes or so, and pull/cut the weeds out by hand. I started letting the girls out while I was doing this (and it also meant I could supervise them while they were getting used to the yard), and I guess seeing me hunched over scratching at the ground and picking out greens made them think I was their roo or something because after a week or two of doing this they went from from watching me at a distance, to doing their own "weeding" next to me, to grabbing the weeds straight from my hand without so much as a thank you!

It's been 6 months now, and one will squat for me and let me pick her up and pet her and carry her around, one will let me pick her up if I happen to catch her and stay calm until I put her down again, and the third girl will only be caught after much effort and will then fuss and fidget and flap until I let her go again. It makes checking for lice/mites quite a challenge, so I usually wait until after dark when they're more docile.